Studiocanal has pulled all advertising in France for its latest film Bastille Day, an action thriller that centers around a bombing attack in Paris, in the wake of the terrorist attack in Nice, France on Thursday that claimed the lives of 84 people and injured more than 100 others.
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Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Thursday night attack in the Riviera city of Nice that left at least 84 dead.
On the other hand, as Eleanor reports, authorities say “this attack could fit the mold of an individual attacker”.
Majid said the attacker didn’t appear to be very organized or competent: at first, when the attacker tried to shoot the man who jumped onto his truck, he wasn’t able to.
The driver, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was shot dead by officers at the scene.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, asked if he could confirm the attacker’s motives were linked to jihadism, said: “No. …”
The attack was the third major strike against France in less than 18 months.
IS commander Abu Mohammed al-Adnani said in September 2014: ‘Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your vehicle, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him’.
“He carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of states that are part of the coalition fighting Islamic State”.
Tunisian-born Frenchman Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, with a record of violence but unknown to counter-terrorism agencies, drove a rented truck for 2km along the Promenade des Anglais seafront, mowing down revellers gathered there to watch a fireworks display. “We’re going to keep standing with our partners from Africa to Afghanistan and we are going to destroy this vile terrorist organization”.
Meanwhile, four men suspected of being in close ties with the Nice attacker have been detained.
He and his wife had three children, but she had demanded a divorce after a “violent argument”, one neighbour said.
Photographs after the carnage showed the truck, which had been hired on Monday, with its front badly damaged and riddled with bullet holes.
A government official initially said that police found guns and explosives in the back of the truck.
“I saw this enormous white truck go past at top speed”, said Suzy Wargniez, a local woman aged 65 who was watching from a cafe on the promenade. He was married with three children, they added.
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The father confirmed that his son was “not on good terms” with his wife. Besides continuing the state of emergency and the Sentinel operation with 10,000 soldiers on patrol, he said he was calling up “operational reserves”, those who have served in the past and will be brought in to help police, particularly at French borders. At least 202 people were injured, 52 of whom are in critical condition, and 25 of whom are on life support. “There are French among the victims and also many foreigners from every continent and many children, young children”, Hollande said after visiting a hospital.
